BIG color news from Benjamin Moore and Brimfield

Hello again! I am finally back to my computer after almost two weeks of design and blogging related travel. I have so much design and color info to share with you from both Brimfield and Blogfest. I will start with Brimfield and the big color announcement made by Benjamin Moore.

Drum roll please….Benjamin Moore has released a whole new line of paint colors called the Williamsburg Collection.According to Benjamin Moore this new palette is “historic American colors derived from classic American design. Based on original pigments developed more than 250 years ago, Colonial Williamsburg’s curators have re-created this rich, authentic palette.”

williamsburg collection

The 144 new colors are absolutely beautiful and timeless. Another perk is that since all the colors have similar saturation the colors are meant to blend seamlessly with one another. In other words, you can mix and match these colors in your home and not worry about anything clashing. Of course you still need to get the undertones right so you still may want to hire me!

I am so excited about these new colors and they came at a perfect time as I get ready to repaint to the entire “core” of our house. I have my eye on several of the soft neutrals and plan to paint up sample boards soon. I’ll let you know what I pick.

I also just happen to have an additional Williamsburg fan deck to give away. If you would like to have it simply comment on this post and I will choose a winner next Monday.

What do you think of these new historic colors and do you think you would try them out?

you know how much I LOVE the historical paint colors- very interested in seeing this new collection! I would be very curious how they incorporate the updated knowledge we have as far as how the older colors appeared when they were new-they are often quite surprising to our modern eye. I remember that Washington’s Mount Vernon had all “new” colors done based on this new info. The colors on this new deck could be very different than those we used to identify or interpret as “colonial” or “Williamsburg”, I can’t wait to see!

Meredith I spoke to one of the execs at Ben Moore quite a bit about this. He said it took “master colorists” 5 years of research to determine not only what the colors were but how they “looked” once on the walls…given the materials of the time. These new colors supposedly take all that into account and are a true representation of what the colors would have looked like way back then.It’s really a fascinating topic.

I work for a paint store that carries the Williamsburg colors. We have carried this collection for years as a part of Pratt & Lambert paints. My understanding is this is a palette of 184 colors that was originally created by Martin Senour. I would guess the master colorist the Benjamin Moore exec was referring to was Senour. The collection was licensed to Pratt & Lambert in 1973. In 1995 Sherwin Williams acquired Pratt & Lambert.

I didn’t know until I read your blog, Linda, that Sherwin Williams has recently sold/given up their rights to the Williamsburg collection to Benjamin Moore. Very interesting!

I am excited to see what kind of marketing push Ben Moore puts behind this really strong collection of colors. It looks like they’ve of course renamed the colors. I’ll do some more research on it later this week when I’m at the store and report back!

I googled Williamsburg collection and hit google images and saw that the Ben Moore and Pratt & Lambert “Williamsburg Collection” was the same and that it had the registration mark.

That is so interesting KD! I am surprised to hear they are the same colors! when Ben Moore made the big announcement at Brimfield it sounded as if they were all new colors that they (Ben Moore) had come up with. I can’t wait to hear what you find out from your store…let me know!

We don’t have that collection yet here, but I keep hearing about it. Really interesting comment from your reader about this being possibly re-branded and packaged from another paint company – can’t wait to see them in person, they look really beautiful. I’d LOVE to win that fandeck!

I’m sick!
As a native Virginian and a lover of Colonial Williamsburg all my life nothing spoke “Williamsburg ” color like the Martin Senour pallet.
My favorite has been the Williamsburg …..Apollo Room Blue and you could get it in light, med or dark.
I got away from the blues for a few years and “branched out” so to speak but I’m retiring soon and planned to redo my home and use my old stand-by colors especially Apollo Room Blue. My son even gave me a wonderful birthday gift of a new Sheffield-Adams Williamsburg reproduction lamp as a color theme. By the way, Sheffield-Adams will no longer be making the “Reproduction Colonial Williamsburg” lamps. What a shame……great quality and design gone.
I looked at the BM “Apollo Blue” and it is off the mark….very dark.
Any suggestions where I might find the original Martin Senour colors.

Hi Susan, from my understanding the original Martin Senour colors were reproduced by Pratt and Lambert. When Sherwin Williams bought Pratt and Lambert several years back the colors became part of the Sherwin Williams paint collection. Last year Sherwin Williams decided not to renew their licensing agreement for the colors and Benjamin Moore stepped in to purchase the colors. They supposedly “updated and freshened up the colors”. I think your best bet would be to go to a Sherwin Williams store and inquire if they still have the formula for the blue you are looking for. I hope this helps!

I grew up with these color and am so anxious to match the Benjamin Moore colors with my old martin Senour colors. I didn’t realize that they colors had changed. We are having our house painted. I’ve had the same colors since 1973, and am in a panic! I let someone borrow my old paint chart, and it was never returned. I can’t find a replacement anywhere to match the colors. Help!! Best, Beth